Gasly Stuns With Surprise Monza F1 Pole — SkimNews
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- Pierre Gasly took pole at Monza in what the source calls the biggest surprise pole in F1 for years, with George Russell second — the Frenchman had been playing and winning online chess against Russell in the 15 minutes before qualifying began.
- Gasly's only previous F1 win came at Monza in 2020 with Toro Rosso in a pandemic-era race shaped by restarts and penalties, but Saturday's pole was "absolutely earned on merit," according to the source.
- The Alpine's qualifying pace drew from a low-downforce aerodynamic design, a Mercedes engine the source calls "the best in the field," and an upgrade first run at the previous round in the Netherlands.
- George Russell was compromised when Max Verstappen slotted between his Mercedes and Kimi Antonelli on the out lap, disrupting the slipstream tow Russell needed to set his time.
- Kimi Antonelli sits 59 points clear of Russell in the championship but starts 20th after a grid penalty for exceeding his engine allowance, while Lewis Hamilton (also 59 back) lines up fourth and Charles Leclerc third.
- Flavio Briatore sparked a separate controversy Friday by alleging a Monaco appeal judge had "links" with McLaren based on a 2018 California charity event — a claim the FIA court of appeal publicly rejected and which McLaren's Andrea Stella called "insulting."
Why it matters: Gasly's pole hands Mercedes a rare opportunity to dent Kimi Antonelli's 59-point championship lead: Russell starts second and Hamilton fourth, while Antonelli is 20th after a grid penalty. For Alpine, the result validates their switch to Mercedes customer engines after a season of struggle, though managing director Steve Nielsen acknowledged they were "down" only two days earlier after losing their Monaco podium on appeal.
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